Tech writers: it’s your job to sell your product, and that product is you
I’m feeling depressed today. It’s a combination of a lot of little things:
- A new boss, who doesn’t understand what it is that technical writers do, let alone what I’m doing in his team
- I need to document a system process by tomorrow night but I can’t get access to that particular system
- A workmate comes to me as a last resort. They had tried to purchase a new system to store specific data but couldn’t get budget for it. They wonder if I have any suggestions for an alternative. I tell them a single SharePoint list will do the job for them.
That’s right. One single SharePoint list. Yet they were prepared to spend hundreds, maybe thousands, of dollars to buy a new product just to produce the same information as a single SharePoint list with a number of different views.
We discussed how many lists my workmate really needed. She thought ten, one for each of our major customers.
I try to tell her that, no, if she adds an extra (checkbox choice) column for the customer name then she only needs one list, especially since 90% of the information is exactly the same for each customer. But no, she wants to duplicate the information ten times over. I set up a sample for her but she goes away not convinced.
I have no authority. I am only the technical writer. Had I been, say, a business analyst or system architect, or even a developer, then obviously I would have known what I was talking about and she would have seriously looked at the proposition.
It’s the same with the access problem. It’s a remote system. I can’t get into it. Our Service Desk guys can’t get into it. So, we (Service Desk and I) have logged a request with the people who manage the remote site. I know that request will drop right to the bottom of the pile. Because I am only a technical writer and therefore unimportant in the scheme of things.
[I have no complaints with our Service Desk, by the way. These people are fantastic. Patient, good-natured—which is pretty hard given some of the work that is heaped on them, always ready to help—despite how stupid a question may be. They keep systems running smoothly 99.9% of the time, and yet the only time they really get noticed is when something goes majorly wrong. Then it’s usually bad notice.]
But it’s the new boss that really depressed me. Here we go again. I now have to sell myself and my product—me, and my technical writing—all over again.
Sometimes I wonder if it is worth it.
The problem with being a sole technical writer in a team or a company is that no-one really knows who you are or what you do, and you have to convince them of your value. It’s even more of a problem if your team leader or manager doesn’t accept that you really are a part of the team. You become demoralised, your work gets worse, which affects your morale even more, and your ability to fit into the team, which affects your work and so on in an ever increasing downward spiral.
I think that most of us who are sole technical writers have experienced this problem.
At a recent conference I attended, one of the presenters spoke about this alienation, about no-one understanding your value to the company or your team. A goodly number of us in the audience nodded.
“You know,” he said, “That it’s your fault. It’s up to you to convince people of your value, it’s not up to others to do it for you.”
I agree with him.
Just being able to write doesn’t automatically make you a good technical writer. Two other skills that are more important are project management and people skills. People skills do not just mean being able to coax the developer into giving you time out of his/her busy schedule, it also means networking and selling yourself. Yet a lot of technical writers are far stronger in the technical and writing side than they are on the people side.
I am one of these.
Marketing is hard work, and right now in my depressed state I wonder if it’s worth it.
I will feel better tomorrow. Most jobs have components you’d rather not do, and there aren’t many better jobs than tech writing, so tomorrow I will see how I can convince my boss I add value.
But for tonight, I think I’d like to wallow in self-pity.
Comments (8 comments)
[…] Tech writers: it’s your job to sell your product, and that product is you by CabSav: A realistic day in the life of a technical writer. […]
A Career in Technical Writing: Life as a wannabee : PoeWar.com Writer’s Resource Center / July 3rd, 2008, 4:08 pm / #
I’ve been a lone author in the past too and agree it can be very demoralising.
One of the reasons why I think our profession is so badly afflicted by this.. malaise?.. is possibly explained by examining the type of people who do the job. By nature they are methodical, introverted, and … well the exact opposite profile from that of a sales or marketing person.
So we have problems selling ourselves, possibly believing that our work speaks volumes (it doesn’t).
Have you looked around for ways to present your ‘case’ to your new boss? Focus on ROI, lowering support calls and such like and you might have a hook - figure out what he/she is striving for and align yourself with that goal and hopefully the realisation of just how much you can bring the organisation will start to sink in.
Gordon / July 3rd, 2008, 4:52 pm / #
You are so right about the type of people, Gordon. I am so not a marketing person.
Thanks for the suggestions.
CabSav / July 3rd, 2008, 9:10 pm / #
I’ve decided to switch careers before I’m 40. Going from a video and television producer to technical writing.
The glory of video production has be robbed by a soft economy and cheap digital tools like Final Cut Pro, where anybody with a camera and a MacBook is my competition. My only salvation in production is that I enjoy writing scripts, and the minutia of editing. More importantly, over the years of my career, I’ve cultivated a good rapport style with my clients…my work better reflect their desire if I ever want to self-perpetuate.
That being said, what’s your two cents on my career move? Can I support a family? Would my previous experience be a benefit? Or should I just spend the treasure and time learning to be a Flash jockey?
Respectfully,
Garrett Evans
Garrett Evans / July 9th, 2008, 7:48 am / #
Garrett
Apologies for the long delay in the reply. I started to answer this days ago, but your last sentence made me pause. Many people would prefer the (perceived) glamour of being a Flash jockey to that of technical writing, I think. I’m also not sure that it wouldn’t pay better, or just as well. Although, cheap tools may also mean that producing Flash might also go the way of video production.
I don’t know how much video producers get paid, so I don’t know what standard of living you have now but, yes, I believe technical writing can support a family. Check the current job ads for an idea of what it pays. In the US the Society for Technical Communicators (STC) has an annual salary survey, but I believe you must be a member to get results. Here in Australia My Career gives a median salary range. Note the trends. The median cost is going down. From my personal experience I would agree. It’s a supply and demand thing, and as jobs get scarcer, what you get paid goes down.
With your experience in video and television I would personally target on-line training modules (videos, Flash). And the bit about knowing how to make your work better reflect the client’s desire should also stand you in good stead.
CabSav / July 13th, 2008, 7:43 pm / #
[…] Your product is you. Here are some tips on how to sell that product. […]
Weekly links roundup by Communications from DMN / August 30th, 2008, 7:50 pm / #
I wouldn’t advise anybody to go into the tech writing profession at the moment.
It really is an unsteady profession to be in. In my own case, I have been a tech writer for 18 years, and I have been made redundant 4 times. I am currently unemployed.
The problem is that so many companies perceive tech documentation to be of little value - almost everybody thinks they can do it, and hence the poor old TA will be among the first to get laid off. There really is no appreciation of what we do.
The other thing is that the market has changed over the last 5 years. Companies have already outsourced a lot of basic tech doc work to places such as India. The only work that remains is of an intensely technical nature, such as API or microchip guides, etc. Most TAs are generalists - their skill is their technical writing, not their ability to understand machine code. Hence, many of us (and I include myself in that) may end up becoming long-term unemployed.
I’m sorry if this sounds terribly bitter.
To Garrett Evans - I agree that being a Flash or e-learning expert might be a better niche to be in right at the moment.
Dave Willis / April 18th, 2009, 12:07 am / #
I must say that I am picking up more techical work in my own company (outside of straight technical writing), because I can see that in this current work environment it’s a smart move.
I can only do this because I have a technical background. For most tech writers this is not an option.
CabSav / April 18th, 2009, 8:23 am / #
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